►They call me…
GALA GAL, Inc. Future-Focused Fundraising
Home of THE "Gala Gal" Jenelle Taylor, Designated Benefit Auctioneer Specialist (BAS) by the National Auctioneers Association (NAA)Orgs We've Helped!
TEXT or CALL me!
Find me on LinkedIn!
VIDEO: Auction Style!
NAA Credentials
Benefit Auction Specialist (BAS)
VIDEO: 1000 Guests!
The GALA 411 Blog
- It’s Genius, SignUp Genius
- Cool Committee Recognition
- A brunch raised how much??
- Large Live Auction Handout
- That final “Donate Now” text
- A better way to do Desserts
- Add a Countdown Clock
- Benefit Auction Summit 2024
- Auction in the Round
- Easy Uses for AI
- Auctioning a dog
- ►Spa Creative!
- ►National Auctioneers’ Day
- ►100% Participation
- ►How to wow a crowd
Editor of this How-to Charity Auction book
“70-Point Venue Checklist” FREE DOWNLOAD
Grab this 70-point Venue Checklist when planning your Gala Fundraiser!
Find It Now
>
© 2025 GALA GAL, Inc. - All rights reserved.
Firstyme WordPress Theme.
Designed by Charlie Asemota.
It’s Genius, SignUp Genius
This week a terrific nonprofit in Orlando is hosting their 6th annual online auction benefiting programs for seniors. This is no ordinary online auction – there are over 300 items to bid on! Unlike an online auction happening during a gala where people just grab their winnings that night, this online-only event means there are over 300 baskets and certificates that will need to be picked up next week at their office!
HOW do they manage smooth and organized item handovers the easy way? With SignUp Genius. Setting it up is fast, easy and can even be free to use. Simply add the link to your winning invoices and you’re all set to have all their purchases together before their appointment. Give this handy tool a try.
Cool Committee Recognition
I learned about a new live auction idea from a nonprofit in Boca Raton. As the very first auction opportunity, the committee members slowly rose from their seats around the room and took turns gathering in front of the stage as their names were read. Each was holding a gift (a wrapped gift basket, bottle of wine, framed certificate) and all of the gifts became one package that the top bidder would win. It was a great way to shine a spotlight on each individual (literally!) and create a unique live auction opportunity not to be found at any other gala. As you know, creating signature live auction lots only available at your event one night a year is another great way to set your fundraiser apart, give you a marketing hook, and build traditions.
Shoot me an email if you try this bright idea!
(image generated in Google Gemini)
A brunch raised how much??
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the Development team from the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. Their signature event, Brunch on the Bay, held its 30th Anniversary recently. Thirty years! That kind of legacy clearly takes hard work, creativity, and a lovingly supportive community. Famously known for its lobster tails (!) and more than 20 other amazing restaurant stations, it’s one of the only events I do that is ideally suited for an open-air tent. They do a great job of mission messaging, and the crowd gives enthusiastically in the Paddle Raise. Deciding all those years ago to brand a brunch instead of a nighttime gala has made USF S-M stand out in a sea of other fundraisers.
If your team isn’t thinking before each event about how to stand out and be memorable, you’re missing an opportunity to build community and loyalty.
Large Live Auction Handout
When I teach my 3-day BOOTCAMP for Benefit Auctioneers class to aspiring fundraisers across the country, one part of Tab 1 is an entire seminar condensed into a few pages called “65 Ways to Create Prepared Bidders.” Yes, there are literally at least 65 ways that you and your auctioneer can creatively promote your live auction items and get your attendees educated and excited for what’s next.
One of the simplest, cheapest and most effective is a large Live Auction Handout. The one shown fully explains 10 items and has an image for each. We choose to do this on a 11″ x 14″ sheet so that the text is actually readable, but you could use both sides of a smaller size. This is inexpensive and practical because it can be edited up to the final day for accuracy (instead of catalog descriptions written 2 weeks prior).
THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE TO PREPARING YOUR GUESTS TO GIVE. Seriously, a little louder for those in the back, as they say. You get one night, once a year. Do everything you can to create prepared bidders who are excited about the upcoming opportunities instead of dreading your auction.
That final “Donate Now” text
So, your Fund-a-Need is complete, live auction is over, Last Hero donations tallied, Paddle Drop numbers collected. You might also have wrapped up your raffle, handed over the wines pulled, and sold some swag.
Now, it’s time to make that one last ask, and it helps to make sure the amount you’re seeking is authentic and the size of the ask is proportionate to what you’ve already raised. Don’t round your number from $14, 324 to $15,000! Nope, state exactly what you need to hit your $100,000 goal. One person might step up and give the whole amount; multiple people might be nudged just enough to give a little bit more.
Typically this ask goes out as an end-of-the-evening text, but it could go out the next day or even the first work day following the event. Make the ask, mention your mission, and MAKE SURE to thank everyone as wholeheartedly as you can.
A better way to do Desserts
One Best Practice I always recommend is to HOLD DESSERT until after the fundraising is completed. There’s a lot of psychology and methodology behind this strategic decision.
1) Having a pre-plated dessert already on the tables is anti-climactic. It takes away from your centerpieces, mission messaging and place settings you’ve worked so hard to design. Plus, it’s cluttered.
2) Dessert can be used as a carrot, the big reveal you dangle to generate anticipation. Your auctioneer can say, “Right now our chefs are preparing a fantastic array of desserts behind the scenes, so in the meantime let’s do some fundraising…” It’s been shown many times that some people will leave early once they feel they’ve gotten all the components of the event they paid for. In other words, once they’ve had dessert, a portion of your folks don’t anticipate trying to bid in the live auction (or don’t have the money to give at that level) and will think it’s ok to “beat the line at valet” and leave before your Fund-a-Need appeal gets a chance to stir their hearts.
3) Holding dessert and serving it IMMEDIATELY – as in, within seconds – of the end of the live auction or Paddle Raise or Last Hero or Paddle Drop or raffle winner gives everyone a reason to stay in their seats, get hooked in by the band’s first song, relax and enjoy more aspects of the event you worked so hard to plan.
4) Smaller desserts make more sense, and holding them off for a while gives people a break to digest their entrees without feeling rushed by waitstaff eager to clear plates.
So, think about changing to bite-sized desserts to celebrate all the money you just raised and continue enjoying the evening!
Add a Countdown Clock
Here it is, the fastest, easiest, most effective addition I’m seeing lately: adding a bold countdown on your big screen(s) at the front of the room to alert the audience that in exactly 12 minutes and 34 seconds you’re expecting their complete attention. Your emcee, auctioneer, or Voice of God announcer can make periodic reminders during this time as well. I like a 10- or 15-minute countdown (enough time for folks to refresh their drinks, wrap up conversations, find their tables, place a few more auction bids, etc.) On YouTube you will find many different themed styles, or you can make your own in Canva. It’s best to embed the timer rather than link to it, as a live link might have ads pop up. This visual cue has proven to be very effective at preparing an unfocused crowd to now give their attention to the stage and speakers.
Benefit Auction Summit 2024
It’s that time again!
If you’ve followed along with me over the years, you may remember that there’s only one national conference for fundraising auctioneers, and it takes place a few days before Labor Day weekend.
It’s always a sort of family reunion of fundraising professionals, and this year was no exception, with friends from CA, MN, TX, NH and many other states (and even Canada!)
This year we had speakers reminding us to listen more to our nonprofit clients before offering solutions, to be more compelling in our storytelling, and to organize the steps we take during the several months of pre-event planning.
I got several good takeaways to bring to you this fall and into next spring. Continuing education keeps me fresh and able to share the latest and best ideas with you. Let’s chat!
Auction in the Round
Have you seen this? Done it?
Occasionally I’ll get a nonprofit client who wants to put the stage in the center of the ballroom with tables on all four sides.
The advantages? It’s an uncommon layout, making your gala look and feel different; it puts more tables close to the stage, thus providing more “front row” sponsor seating; it puts your auctioneer in closer proximity to more tables versus the stage at the narrow end of a long room.
The disadvantage? (And this is a big one!) – Your speakers and your auctioneer will have their backs to 50% of the audience at all times! This can’t be emphasized too much: you are disenfranchising half of your audience the entire program. This can negatively impact both your live auction and your Fund-a-Need paddle raise donations, since your auctioneer must be constantly spinning onstage to catch and acknowledge the bid cards. These extra seconds give time for the patrons to change their minds, hesitate, and put that bid card down.
While it might look intriguing, if you decide to auction in the round, plan ahead to have confident, outgoing bid spotters in all 4 quadrants to help catch those raised paddles and ensure you capture every intended dollar for your org.
Easy Uses for AI
So, are you using AI for your nonprofit? If so, are you enjoying it? Finding it helpful, or just confusing? Or, are you freaked out yet?
Two easy uses I’ve found so far:
- With the Auctria online auction software, there’s built in AI to rewrite your auction package descriptions to make them more compelling
- Use https://designer.microsoft.com/image-creator to create free AI images in seconds for posts or when you need an image for an online auction entry.
There are myriad other AI uses for nonprofits. Remember when using it to write long-form text, go back and tweak it to make it your own message in your own voice.